Monica Lewinsky says she no longer needs an apology from Bill Clinton


Monica Lewinsky is "grateful" to no longer feel the need for an apology from former President Bill Clinton — even though she thinks he should "want to" give one.
The former White House intern appeared on NBC's Today ahead of the Tuesday premiere of FX's Impeachment: American Crime Story, the new series that dramatizes Clinton's affair with then 22-year-old Lewinsky in the 1990s and his subsequent impeachment. When asked whether Clinton owes it to her to personally apologize, Lewinsky explained she doesn't need that resolution the way she once did.
"There was a long period before my life changed in the last six or seven years where I felt a lot in terms of there not being this resolution," she said. "And I'm very grateful that I don't have that feeling anymore. I don't need it."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
At the same time, Lewinsky added that Clinton "should want to apologize, in the same way that I want to apologize any chance I get to people that I've hurt and my actions have hurt." Lewinsky previously wrote in Vanity Fair that she's "less disappointed by" Clinton failing to apologize to her personally but "more disappointed for him," as "he would be a better man for it ... and we, in turn, a better society." In 2018, Clinton said that he "did say, publicly, on more than one occasion, that I was sorry," but he argued "I do not" owe Lewinsky a personal apology.
Lewinsky in the Today interview also reflected on feeling "nervous" for audiences to see "a lot of behavior that I regret" in Impeachment, and she addressed the question of whether the Clinton scandal might have unfolded differently had it played out today rather than in the 1990s.
"It would be different," Lewinsky said. "I don't know that it would be as different as people want to think it would be."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Trump hits Africa, Middle East with new travel ban
Speed Read The travel ban bars visitors from 12 countries and restricts entry from seven
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge